Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

The sun setting on Jackson Square. I am so fortunate to work for an organization that encourages professional development. This past week, I was in New Orleans to attend my first ADRP Conference. (That’s Association of Donor Relations Professionals for those of you who don’t know.) I was really excited about this one because I didn’t have to go alone! My coworkers Michal and Andrew came, too. We didn’t realize it at first, but we ended up flying there on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Security in the Tulsa airport was more intense. Everyone got body scanned and a dog came by and sniffed our carry-on items before we boarded the plane. I am pretty calm about these things, but I definitely had butterflies until we landed in New Orleans. I kept thinking about the people who lost their lives that day. It started out like any other but ended up being a day none of us will ever forget. I think we were all sending up extra prayers that day for all those who lost loved ones and had thei...

I love Labor Day because it almost always surprises me. This year it was a welcomed break in our schedule, and we had a great weekend with family. Greg and Stacie came down for OSU’s first football game. The guys had a blast cheering the Cowboys on to victory while us girls stayed in and had a quiet evening at home. It was nice to have a relaxing weekend, but poor Stacie wasn’t feeling well. She’s six months pregnant but still dealing with nausea. Poor thing! I felt so bad for her. I got to feel Henry kick, though, which was really cool! Kyle is still too freaked out to touch a pregnant belly and it was pretty fun teasing him about it. On Sunday, we all headed to Oklahoma City with the folks to shop for baby Henry. What girl doesn’t like baby shopping?  Even though we don’t have kids, I love looking at all the fun clothes and toys for the little ones. Kyle and I can hardly wait for Henry to be here!   Here are just a few of the MANY outfits Henry got that weeken...

I’m not super creative, but I really enjoy a craft every now and then. So when the invitation to Karin’s baby shower came, I knew exactly what I wanted to get Baby K. Since I am surrounded by baby boys, I hadn’t had the opportunity to make a girly frame, and I was so excited! I tried a few new things this time like adding a stand, ribbon and decorating the back. I think it turned out really well! I even coordinated the wrapping (see below). I wish I had taken a picture of the ladybug card that Kim insisted on making to go with it. It was the perfect finishing touch! It seems like Mark and Karin announced they were pregnant not long ago, but this little one is going to be here before we know it!  My other project was born out of necessity and a time-crunch. I mentioned that StuFu snuck up on me this year and that includes the member retreat. I was finalizing details the day before and realized I had forgotten to make place cards. OMG! Well of course we couldn’t live wi...

I have been such a bad blogger lately. It’s been a month since my last post! That's the longest I've ever gone, and I promise not to make this a habit. The good news is that I have so much to share with you! Over the next few days I’ll try to play catch-up.  The reason for my recent delinquency is fall, which has finally made its way to Stillwater! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. The students are back and the temperature has dropped to 80 so I am a happy girl. I am also a very busy girl. Work has really picked up and since we are short-handed, we are all doing a little extra. With these other duties, Student Foundation kind of snuck up on me. I love working with the students. They have such great energy and are so much fun. It’s hard to believe this is the 5th class of StuFu. I was a member of the first class, and it is really exciting to see how the organization has grown. Being the adviser has been challenging but extremely rewarding, and I have been so blesse...